The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1887-06-08

BROOKLYN, June 5.-The Rev. T. De Witt
Talmage, d. D., preached In the Tabernacle
this morning a sermon entitled ''The
Tempest" Service began with the exposi-
ton Of appropriate passages Of Scripture, af-
ter which the great congregation sang the
hymn:
Heaven is my fatherland,
Heaven is my home"
The text was Mark iv, 3G-39, describing
Christ sitting the tempest He said:
Tiberias, Galilee, Gennesaret-three names
for the same lake. No other gem ever had so
beautiful setting. 1t lay in a scene Of great
luxuriance: the surrounding hills high, ter
raced, slopcd, groved, so many hanging gar
dens Of beauty, the waters rumbling down
between rocks Of gray and red limestone,
flashing from the hills and bounding into the
sea. On the shore were castles, armed towers,
Roman baths, everything attractive and
beautiful; all styles Of vegetation in shorter
space than In almost any other space in all
the world, from the palm tree Of the forest to
the trees Of rigorous climate.
1t seemed as if the Lord had launched one
wave of beauty on all the scene, and it hung
and swung from rock and hill and oleander.
Roman gentlemen In pleasure boats sailing
the lake, and countrymen in fish smacks com
ing down to drop their nets, pass each other
Win uDu anu SuDuL anu lduEDIeT, Swinging
idly at their moorings. Oh, what a wonder
full, what beautiful lake,
1t seems as if we shall have quiet night.
Not a leaf winled in the air; not a ripple dis
turbed the face Of Gennesaret; but there
seems to be u little excitement up the beach,
and we hasten TO see what 10 is and we find it
an embarkation.
From the western shore a flotilla push
ing out, not squadron, or deadly arma-
ment nor clipper with valuable merchandise,
nor pirate vessels ready to destroy every
thing they could seize, but fiotilla bearing
messengers Of life and light and peace
Christ Is in the front OF the boat. His dis
ciples are in a smaller boat Jesus, weary
with much speaking to large multitudes, is
put into somnolence by the rocking Of the
waves III there was any motion at all the
ship was easily righted; if the wind passed
from starboard to larboard, or from larboard
20 starboard, the boat would rock and by the
gentleness Of the motion putting the Master
asleep And they extemporized pillow made
out Of fisherman's coat. / think no sooner
is Christ PROSTATE, and his head touched the
pillow, than he is sound asleep. The breezes
of the lake run their fingers through the locks
OF the worn sleeper, and the boat rises and
falls like sleeping child on the bosom of a
sleeping mother.
Calm night starry night, beautiful night.
Run up all the sails, ply all the oars, and let the
large boat and the small boat glide over
gentle Gennesaret. But the sailors say there
is going TO be "A change Of weather. And
even the passengers can hear the moaning OF
the storm, it comes ON with great stride,
and all the terrors of hurricane and darkness
The large boat trembles like a deer at bay
among the clangor of the hounds; grea,
patches of foam are flung into the air; the
sails of the vessel loosen and the sharp winds
crack like pistols the smaller boats, like pc
trels, poise on the cliff Of the waves and ther
plunge
Overheard go cargo, tackling and masts
and the drenched disciples rush into the bach
part of the boat, and lay hold of Christ, and
say unto him: Master, carest thou moi
that we perishf' That great parsonage lift
his head from the pillow of the fisherman,
coat walks 20 the front of the vessel, and
looks out into the storm. All around hin
are the smaller boats, driven in the tempest
and through it comes the cry of drowning
men. BY the flash of the lightning see the
calm brow of Christ the spray dropped
from his beard. He has one word for the
sky and another for the waves. Looking up
ward he cries: ''Peace-n Looking down
ward he says: "Be still"
The waves fall fiat ON their faces, the foam
torches The tempest falls dead, and Christ
stands with his feet on the neck of the storm
And while the sailors are bailing out the
boats and while they are trying to untanglt
the cortlage the disciples stand in amazement
now looking into the calm sea, then into the
calm sky, then into the calm Saviours coun
tenance. and they cry out: "What manner
Of man is this, that even the winds and the
sen obey himf"
The subject in the first place impresses me
with the fact that it is very important t.
have Christ with the ship; for all those boat:
would have gone to the bottom of Gennesare'
IL Christ had not been present Oh, what
lesson for you and for Ie to learnt We
must always have Christ iffthe ship. What
ever voyage we undertake, into whatever en-
terprise we start, let us always have Christ IN
the ship Many of you in these days of re
yived commerce are starting out in new
financial enterprises. l bid you good cheer
Do all you can do. Do it on as high a plan,
us possible You have no right to be a stokel
I'm the ship il you can be an admiral of tn,
navy. You have no right to be a colonel o.
regiment II you can command brigade
you have no right TO be engineer of boat Oh
river banks or near the coast if you can TAX
The ocean steamer from New York to Liver
pool All you can do with utmost tension o
body, mind and soul, you are bound to do
but OH have Christ in every enterprise
Christ in every voyage, Christ in every ship
There are men here who ask God to he'll
them at the start of great enterprises H
has been with them in the past; no troubl
can overthrow them; the storms might com
down from the top of Mount Hermon an
lash Gennesaret into foam and into agony
but it could not hurt them.
But here is another man who starts out i
l. Al.
uncertainties of this life He has no God t
help him. After while the storm comes an
tosses off the masts of the ships he puts ou
his lifeboat and the long boat; the sheriff an
the auctioneer try to help him Off they can
help him off; he must go down; no Christ i
the ship. Here are Dung men just startin
out in life. Your life viii be made up of SUI
shine and shadow. There may be in it arr
tic blasts or tropical tornadoes; know ne
what is before you, but know il you hay
Christ with you all shall be well.
You may seem TO get along without the n
ligion of Christ while everything 60,
hovers over the soul, when the waves of tri,
dash clear over the hurricane deck and II
decks are crowded with piratical disasters
oh, what would you do then withot
Christ in the shipi Young man, take Go
for your portion, God for your guide, God Il
your help-then all is well; all is well II
time; all shall he well forever. Blessed is ths
man who puts in the Lord his trust. He sha
never be COMPOUNDED.
But my subject also impresses me with Il
fact that when people start to follow Chri
they must not expect smooth sailing.
These disciples got into the small boats, an
have no doubt they said: "What beautif,
day this Isl What smooth seal What
I.-tTwl .GaI-w ~ IT = -a-.e--
In this boatl and rs for the waves under I'll
keel of the boat, why, they only make til
motion of our little boat the more delightful
But when the winds swept down and the sc
was tossed into wrath, then they found tbs
ioIIU"irig Onrisr was not smooth salling
you have found il; so have found it. Di
you ever notice the end of the life of th
apostles OF Jesus Christi You would say
ever men ought to have had a smooth life,
smooth departure, then those men, the di
ciples Of Jesus Christ, ought to have had sue
departure and such a life
st. James lost his head, st. Philip wa
hung to death on pillar. St Matthew ha
his life dashed out with q halbert St Mar
was dragged to death through the streets. 81
James the Less was beaten to death with
fuller's club St Thomas was struck throue
with spear. They did not find followin
Christ smooth sailing Oh, how they were a
tossed with the tempestl John Huss In I'll
fire; Hugh McKail in the hour OF martyriou
the Albigenses, the waldenses, the Scotc
Covenanters-did they find it smooth sailing
But why goto history when can come int
this audience to-day and find q score OF iIlu.
trations OF the truth of this subject Tha
young man In the store trying to serve God
while his employer SCOTS at Christianity. tn
young men in the same store antagonist
TO the Christian religion, teasing him
tormenting him about his religion, tryin
TO get him mad They succeed in gaff;,,